National parks and monuments

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

FRANKLIN K. LANE. SECRETARY

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

STEPHEN T. MATHER. DIRECTOR

NATIONAL PARKS AND
MONUMENTS

ADDRESS : By HERBERT W-GLEASQN

DELIVEREb .1 u'^ NATIONAL PARKS CONFERENCE
AT WASHINGTON, D. C. JANUARY 3, 1917

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1917

ADDRESS ON NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS.

By Herbert W. Gleason.

It has been my good fortune to visit all of the more prominent
national parks of the country, in many cases repeatedly, and also
many of the national monuments. From more than a thousand pho-
tographs taken on these various trips a brief selection has been made
for presentation on this occasion, the object being, not to give a
comprehensive view of the scenic beauty of the national parks, which
would take many evenings, but simply to indicate here and there
some of the more striking features.

The principal national parks of the country fall readily into two
divisions, geographically ; first, those which are found along the
range of the Rocky Mountains, and secondly, those which are found
on the Pacific slope. Beginning with the first division, Yellowstone
Park naturallj^ claims chief attei.rion, not only because it Is the
largest of all the parks and was the first to be established, but also be-
cause it possesses many features which are absolutely unique. In-
deed, in the minds of many people it is the only national park which
we possess-^-the.y have never heard of any others.

On the splendid arch of basaltic rock which stands at the northern
entrance to Yellowstone Park there has been engraved the legend:
" For the benefit and enjoyment of the people," a sentiment which
may well serve as the text for any discourse upon our national
parks, and also as an appropriate rallying cry in all efforts for their
protection and perpetuation. Yellowstone Park w^ould deserve its es-
tablishment if only on account of the beauty of its ordinary features
of mountain, lake, and river ; but it has worthily commanded world-
wide attention because of the wonderful variety and splendor of its
volcanic phenomena. Prominent among these are the remarkable
terraces and travertine deposits at the Mammoth Hot Springs.
Here the " Minerva " Terrace, " Cleopatra " Terrace, " Jupiter "
Terrace, and many similar formations constitute an assemblage of
extraordinary interest, while the manifold rainbow tints of the
travertine are exquisitely beautiful. So with regard to the multi-
tude of hot springs and boiling pools — the " Beryl," " Punch Bowl,"
"Morning Glory," "Oyster." "Emerald," etc. — one finds here in-
finite variety in form and color, as well as never-ceasing charm. But
Yellowstone Park is famous more especially for its geysers — those

22313—17 3

4 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS.

relics of old-time volcanic activity so startling in their habit and so
mysterious, at first sight, in their operation. No other locality in
the world equals the Yellowstone in the number, variety, and mag-
nificent display of its geysers. It is worth a long journey just to
behold a single eruption of " Old Faithful."

Every visitor to Yellowstone Park notes with delight the sur-
prising tameness of the wild animals. The bear, deer, elk, antelope,
squirrels, marmots, and even the birds evince a confidence in man
Avhich speaks volumes in favor of the policy of protection which
has been accorded to all wild animals in the park, and it is a welcome
fact that the same policy in the case of other parks is producing the
same happy result.

The climax of beauty in Yellowstone Park is found in the Grand
Canyon of the Yellowstone. Here on the walls of this canyon nature
seems to have exhausted her palette of colors. Such brilliancy is
found nowhere else on earth. As Enos Mills happily says, it is
"lined with the sunset." Standing on Lookout Point, facing the
Great Falls, one is almost carried away with the supernal beauty
and fancies himself suddenly transported to another world. No
wonder that more than one skilled artist, seeking to reproduce the
scene, has dropped his brush in utter despair.

The second largest park along the crest of the Rockies is Glacier
Park in Montana, so called because of the fact that within its bor-
ders are found more than 60 living glaciers. These glaciers, how-
ever, are all small and do not compare with the glaciers in Mount
Rainier National Park, or even Avith those in Mount Olympus Na-
tional Monument. But Glacier Park excels in other features, espe-
cially its mountain lakes, many of which surpass in beauty those of
any other section of the country. At the western entrance to the
park lies Lake Benton, a superb sheet of water 10 miles long, and
affording glorious views of the surrounding mountains. Corre-
sponding to this, at the eastern entrance, is Lake St. Marys, also
about 10 miles long, from whose shores there rise abruptly stupen-
dous mountain peaks, giving views of rare sublimity. St. Marys is
always beautiful, even when the storm clouds gather and the thunder
rolls and the winds lash its surface in fury. One may spend many
days of unalloyed delight by its shores.

And St. Marys Camp is an admirable base from which to make
excursions to other points of interest. Among these the trip to
Lake McDermott is especially popular. Here, close by the Con-
tinental Divide, there nestles an alpine gem of the first water.
Rarely can one find a combination of mountain, lake, glacier, and
forest scenery so commandingly beautiful. And from Lake Mc-
Dermott. too. various side trips can be taken Avhich are highly re-
warding. One of the most enjoyable of these is that which follows

NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 5

a mountain torrent up to its source in Iceberg Lake. Here, in a
glacial cirque at the foot of great cliffs which rise sheer for 2,000
feet and more, lies a glacier whose ice is continually breaking off
into miniature icebergs which float about the lake. Rather a chilly
locality, one would say, for wild flowers to choose as a home, yet
upon the very borders of this icy pool there flourishes a host of
brilliant flowers — spirea, asters, harebells, geranium, elk grass,
painted brush, etc. — a jovial company.

Return to St. Marys Lake may be made over Piegan Pass, a
wonderful trip of some 22 miles, terminating at Going-to-the-Sun
Camp, where the surrounding scenery is among the grandest in
the entire park. The mountains, instead of being named " Mount
Jones," " Mount Smith," etc., are named after old-time Indian
chiefs or to commemorate Indian legends. " Red Eagle." " Little
Chief," "Almost-a-Dog," "Single Shot," " Siyeh," "Going-to-the-
Sun " are some of these. From St. Marys the trail leads to Gun-
sight Lake, with side trips to Blackfeet Glacier. Pumpelly Glacier,
etc., and then over Gunsight Pass and on to Lake McDonald, pass-
ing Sperry Glacier on the way. The northern portion of the park,
which, however, is reached with some difficulty at present on account
of the scarcity of good trails, abounds in alpine scenery of the most
rugged and picturesque type.

The Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the latest to be estab-
lished, is located in the northern part of Colorado and includes
some of the most impressive and strikingly beautiful scenery of
the whole Rocky Mountain Range, centering about Longs Peak
(altitude, 14,256 feet). The park is notable for its easy accessi-
bility, being within a few hours' trip from Denver either by train
or automobile. The western entrance is at Grand Lake, a delight-
ful summer resort, and the eastern entrance is by way of the wind-
ing river canyons, fascinating in their wild beauty, which lead
to Estes Park, a region long famous for its many attractions as a
summer home. Estes Park, while not within the actual bounds
of the national park, is yet an essential portion of the park, as it
forms the chief starting point and base of supplies for all excur-
sions in the park proper. One might easily spend a month in Estes
Park and enjoy a new excursion almost every day. Among these
trips may be mentioned the following: Up Black Canyon to Ilallett
Glacier on Hagues Peak ; by way of the neAV Fall River road to
Specimen Mountain and over the Continental Divide at Milner
Pass; also over the divide by way of Flattop Mountain and down
to Grand Lake; following the trail from Moraine Park up to Fern
Lake and still higher to Lake Odessa; another trail to Loch Vale,
Glacier Gorge, and Taylor Glacier; climbing to the summit of Lily
Mountain, the Twin Sisters, Estes Cone, etc.

6 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS.

But the crowning excursion in Kocky Mountain Park, for those
who are competent to undertake it, is the ascent of Longs Peak.
This is usually made from Longs Peak Inn, the home of Mr. Enos
Mills, who has rightly been termed " the father of Rocky Mountain
Park" because of his long and persistent devotion to its interests.
Under ordinary conditions the climb can be made without danger
and with no especial difficulty, good muscle, steady nerves, plenty of
" wind," and a fair degree of gymnastic ability being the require-
ments. After leaving timber line the surrounding country opens up
in truly magnificent style, and on reaching the summit the view in
every direction is sublime in the extreme.

Wild animal life in Rocky Mountain Park is peculiarly interesting,
there being a number of bands of mountain sheep within the park,
while everywhere one finds abundant opportunity to observe the
habits of the beaver. As to wild flowers, the number is almost count-
less, and the midsummer display is beautiful beyond expression.

Colorado is fortunate in possessing still another national park,
situated in the extreme southwestern corner of the State — Mesa
Verde National Park. This park was created for the purpose of pre-
sf^rving a most interesting series of prehistoric cliff dwellings which
were discovered a few years ago in some of the canyons of Mesa
Verde. It i;: a decidedly novel experience to ride 30 miles to the sum-
mit of this mesa, and then, on coming to the rim of one of the can-
yons, without having previously seen a sign of human habitation,
suddenly discover, halfway down the perpendicular wall of the can-
yon, a whole village of stone houses sheltered within a great cave.
And it is yet more noveL on descending the steep trail leading to the
cave, to explore one of these community dwellings, to note the plan
upon which it is built, the excellence of the masonry — far surpassing
that of present-day Indians — the peculiar forms of doorw\iys and
w^indows, the fireplaces, the curious underground kivas or ceremonial
chambers, the attempts at frescoed walls in places, the finger prints
of women and children made in the fresh adobe mortar when the
stones were first put in place, the deep grooves in the solid rock
where the men sharpened their stone axes, for these structures were
built in the Stone Age when tools of metal were unknown. These
grooves are pathetic, likewise the rough scarf marks still to be seen
on the ends of beams used for supporting the second and third
stories of the dwellings. Who these cliff dwellers were, where they
came from, how long they lived here, where they went to ; these are
problems in archaeology which are far from being solved. Three of
the principal groups of buildings, the Cliff Palace, the Sprucetree
House, and the Balcony House have been put in excellent repair,
under Government direction, and ^nd fair to last for still another
indefinite period.

NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 7

The people who formerl}^ dwelt here have left abundant evidences,
not merely of their skill in masonry, but in the making of pottery
and fabrics. They possessed also a considerable artistic sense for
a rude people, for their implements and vessels of earthenware are
profusely ornamented. An astonishing fact, hard to be explained,
is that some of their designs duplicate early Christian and even
ancient Greek and Egyptian patterns.

But Mesa Verde is not the only national park devoted to the pres-
ervation of antiquities. Casa Grande National Park, in southern
Arizona, includes what is probably the most remarkable structure
on this continent— a great stone house of singular construction and
use unknown, so ancient that when it was first discovered by Spanish
explorers in the early part of the sixteenth century it was then an
antique ruin, and among the native tribes of the region there was no
shadow of tradition respecting its character or history. Monte-
zuma's Castle and the Tonto Ruins, also in Arizona, are included
among the national monuments, both preserving excellent specimens
of the cliif -dweller's work. Of similar character are the Navajo and
Walnut Canj^on Monuments, also in Arizona. In February, 1916,
the Bandelier National Monument, in the Rio Grande Valley,
N. Mex., was created. Within an area of 18,000 acres there ara in-
cluded a large number of cavate dwellings which have exceptional
archaeological interest. It is piupv^oe*^ to *^xtend this area farther
to the north so as to include the remarkable Puye Mesa, the whole
to be called the National Park of the Cliff Cities. Still another
region of fascinating interest along the same line is the Canyon de
Chelly, in the Navajo Reservation, where are found a series of cliff
dwellings in the red sandstone walls of a box canyon, which in itself
possesses extraordinary beauty. This canyon is not yet even a
national monument, but measures have been taken looking to its
establishment as such.

Coming next to the national parks on the Pacific slope, the first
to engage attention is the Mount Rainier National Park in the State
of Washington. The crowning feature of this park is, of course,
Mount Rainier, the highest mountain on the Pacific coast, and one
of the most majestic peaks to be found anywhere in the world, for
the entire altitude of the mountain (14,408 feet) can be seen from
sea level. The glacier system of Mount Rainier is immense, cover-
ing 48 square miles and including 28 distinct glaciers, some of which
are of enormous size. The mountain also presents many interesting
evidences of its ancient volcanic activity. The ascent of the moun-
tain is frequently made and proves a most inspiring experience.
Ijike a diamond in a setting of emeralds, Mount Rainier is surrounded
by a number of most charming natural parks, in which the display
of wild flowers, in their abundance, variety, novelty, and brilliancy,

8 NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS.

is quite on a par with the magnificent aspect of the mountain. High
up on the mountain slopes one may sometimes meet with a herd of
wild goats, also an occasional flock of ptarmigan — that bird of arctic
habits which apparently loves to dwell amid perpetual snow.

But Mount Eainier was not always the highest mountain on the
Pacific coast. In prehistoric times another mountain in southern
Oregon towered above Mount Eainier. But this mountain, which
was a mighty volcano like Rainier, met with a sad catastrophe one
day. Either the whole top of the mountain was blown off in some
terrific explosion or else the mountain swallowed itself, so to speak,
the latter being the generally accepted theory of geologists. What-
ever the fact was, we find to-day an immense caldera occupying the
highest level of the mountain, and within this great crater there is
a lake, 6 miles in diameter and with a maximum depth of 2,000 feet,
of indescribable beauty. This lake is in the center of Crater Lake
National Park — one of the most interesting and beautiful of all our
national parks. The lake itself — a deep ultramarine blue in color,
the steep walls inclosing it which rise in places to a height of 2,000
feet above the lake, the glowing tints of copper and sulphur and
amethyst which the volcanic rock exhibits here and there, the grace-
ful drspery of the mountain hemlocks both within and wiihout the
crater walls, the quaint "Wizard Island" which was upheaved after
the major cataclysm, T;.^ i" 'ehborihg srlow-crowned peaks — all these
combine to make a picture which the beholder will ever remember
with utmost delight.

California rejoices in possessing no less than four national parks,
as well as several national monuments Entering the State from the
north, we first come to the Lassen Volcanic National Park, created
in the summer of 1916, which contains, among other interesting vol-
canic phenomena, Lassen Peak (10,465 feet altitude), which has
become widely famous of late on account of its awakening from a
long slumber and indulging in a prolonged series of spectacular
rireworks.

Yosemite National Park is surpassed in size only by the Yellow-
stone and Glacier Parks. Many people confuse Yosemite Valley
Avith Yosemite Park. The valley is included within the park, but
only as a single feature, the area of the valley being only about
8 square miles, while the area of the park is 1,125 square miles.
Still, even if the valley stood absolutely alone, it would be well
worthy of high distinction as a national park. For within this
limited compass it seems almost as if nature had sought to bring
together the most magnificent and graceful specimens of her handi-
work. Yosemite Valley has been often described and illustrated,
but in spite of this every visitor on entering the valley is met
Avith a revelation of grandeur and beauty such as he had never
before conceived. And the vision never palls. One may spend

NATIOISTAL PAEKS AND MONUMENTS. 9

weeks in the valley ; he may visit it repeatedly, yet the wonder and
the glory of it are ever fresh and awe compelling. El Capitan, Cathe-
dral Eocks, Half Dome, Mirror Lake, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall,
Yosemite Fall, Bridal Veil — these are names familiar to a multitude
of people through verbal descriptions and pictorial reproduction,
but only those who have seen the reality can begin to appreciate
what Yosemite Valley means.

But having seen Yosemite Valley one should by all means under-
take a tour of Yosemite Park. Tuolumne Meadows, some 30 miles
north of the valley, is now easily reached either by trail or auto-
mobile road and forms an admirable base from which to explore a
large section of the High Sierra as well as to visit many localities
of notable character in the northern portion of the park. Mount
Lyell, Mount Dana, Kuna Crest, Tioga Lake, Mono Pass, McClure
Glacier, Dog Lake, Conness Peak, Piute Mountain, Rodgers Lake,
Matterhorn Canyon, Kerrick Canyon, Tilden Lake — these are only
a few names. There is the marvelous Grand Canyon of the
Tuolumne, a stupendous gorge, beginning shortly below the
Tuolumne Meadows and extending westerly for nearly 25 miles,
carved out of the mountain mass by an ancient glacier, with walls
rising sheer from 4,000 to 5,000 feet high, while through the nar-
row canyon there courses the Tuolumne River in one continual suc-
cession of glorious cascades and waterfalls. Difficult of access as
yet — for there is no trail except through a small portion of the
canyon — it rewards the explorer with some of the most magnificent
canyon scenery on the American Continent.

At the lower end of the Tuolumne Canyon lies Hetch Hetchy
Valley, in many ways a counterpart of Yosemite Valley, yet with
a marked picturesque quality of its own. Those of us who have
seen Hetch Hetchy in all its primitive beauty can not help a feel-
ing of sadness in view of the fact that the valley has been given
to San Francisco for an artificial water reservoir.

The Sequoia and General Grant National Parks were established
for the purpose of conserving some of the most notable groves of
that magnificent tree, the Sequoia gigantea^ relic of an earlier
geologic age, found only in California, and commanding the high-
est interest on account of its immense size, its majestic dignity, and
its hoary antiquity. Unquestionably, these trees are the largest
and the oldest of all living things. Man}^ of them are over 300
feet high, with a trunk diameter at base of from 30 to 40 feet,
and an age dating back certainly 5,000 years and more. Few ob-
jects in all the outdoor world are worthy of such heartfelt rever-
ence.

It is proposed to extend the boundaries of the Sequoia Park to
include a region of mountainous country along the crest of the

10 NATIONAL PABKS AND MONUMENTS.

Southern Sierra and its western slope drained by the Kings River
and its tributaries. If this shall be done, the new park will bring
under national protection Mount Whitney (the highest elevation
within the United States proper), Mount Williamson, Mount Tyn-
dall, the famous Kings River Canyon, Tehipite Valley, and many
other mountains and valleys of great scenic interest.

Brief reference may be made in closing to some of the more
notable national monuments, which are to all intents and pur-
poses national parks, though occupying a somewhat different status
and being created b}^ presidential proclamation instead of a specific
act of Congress.

The Devils Postpile, in California, is one of the most remarkable
collection of hexagonal basaltic rock columns to be found anywhere
in the world. The Devils Tower, in Wyoming, is a closely allied
formation, rising to a height of more than 1,200 feet above the sur-
rounding plain. The Colorado Monument and the Wheeling Monu-
ment, both in Colorado, present some very striking results of erosion
in the form of lofty monoliths and curiously carved and colored
cliffs. The Natural Bridges Monument, in southern Utah, includes
three of the largest and most striking natural rock bridges known
anywhere. A similar formation is the Rainbow Bridge Monument,
also in Utah, the height of which is 309 feet and the span 278 feet.
The Petrified Forest Monument, in Arizona, includes three areas
w^here are found the silicified remains of ancient coniferous trees, of
great interest and beauty. Mount Olympus Monument, in the north-
western corner of Washington, is a mountain area of superb charac-
ter and unusual scientific interest, its extensive glacier system being
particularly notable. A plan is on foot to give this region the full
status of a national park, which it amply deserves. The Sieur de
Monts Monument, on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine, a
locality of historical interest and scenic beauty, is the only national
park or monument yet created east of the Mississippi.

There are many grand canyons in the United States, but only one
Grand Canyon ; and by far the greatest, both in area and importance,
of all the national monuments is the Grand Canyon of Arizona. No
words can describe the aAvful majesty and the sublime beauty of this
stupendous chasm. As Prof. Van Dyke has said, " Instead of its
being, as is sometimes stated, the eighth wonder of the world, it is
the first wonder of the world." A bill is now before Congress, with
good prospect of its being passed, to make the Grand Canyon a full-
fledged national park, and thus to preserve for all coming genera-
tions, under full governmental control and protection, this master-
piece of nature's production.

The Harriman Fiord in Alaska, an arm of Prince William Sound,
is a proposed national monument of exceptional interest and attrac-

NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS. 11

tiveness. Only 12 miles long and a mile or so in width, it is an
amphitheater of sublimity tremendously impressive and exquisitely
beautiful. On all sides rise lofty mountains whose summits pierce
the clouds at altitudes varying from eight to eleven thousand feet
above sea level. Five huge glaciers descend directly into the fiord,
discharging icebergs with roars of thunder, while many other
glaciers lie on the higher slopes, the azure hues of their pinnacles and
crevasses glistening in the sunlight. Few white men have ever seen
this wonderful fiord, but in coming days, with the opening up of
the new governmental railway, it is certain to become widely known
and prized as one of our finest scenic assets in all Alaska.

One other national monument should be mentioned, not merely for
its intrinsic interest, but because it honors the name of one who de-
voted his life, in a very real and most effective way, to the welfare
of our national parks — the Muir Woods of California. This is a
tract of primitive redwood forest on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais,
across the bay from San Francisco, which was deeded to the Gov-
ernment by Hon. William Kent, a Member of Congress, and named
after John Muir, the eminent naturalist and writer, in recognition
of his efforts to awaken interest in the wonder and glory of the out-
door world. A day spent with Mr. Muir himself in the Muir Woods
was one never to be forgotten. Utterly oblivious of the fact that any
special honor was conferred upon him in connection with the park,
he Avas continuall}^ intent upon discovering new forms of beauty in
the trees or shrubs or vines or flowers, all the time unfolding from
his vast store of information facts of deep interest pertaining to
the varied features of the park. And this was characteristic of his
entire life. He gave himself in whole-souled enthusiasm to the study
of nature's methods and mysteries, not solely for his own satisfaction,
but that he might interpret them to others and thus reveal something
of their wonder, their beauty, and their spiritual significance. To
quote a word of tribute from one who knew him well :^

His was the vibrant voice that saug of God's manifestation in the harmonies
and beauties of nature. His was the hand that pointed the way to the clear
and high places of earth. His were the feet that beat paths for others to fol-
low, leading to shrines in the forest or meadow, on the glacier or cliff of rocks,
by the river's edge, or on the mountain's summit. His name will endure, not
alone because it is written upon the Muir Glacier of Alaska or among the giant
Sequoias of the Muir Woods in California, but because it is written in letters
of sincere love upon the hearts of thousands whose lives his own has sweetened
and brightened for all time.

1 Prof. E. S. Meany, of the University of Washington.

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